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Turning the jarring juxtaposition of her nasally New York accent and fashion model looks into an endearing signature persona, actress Fran Drescher found fame as a brassy and sassy Lucille Ball-like character on one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s. After making her minor, but memorable film debut in "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), Drescher was seen regularly in small parts in films like "Ragtime" (1981), "Doctor Detroit" (1983) and "This is Spinal Tap" (1984). Unsuccessful attempts at landing a television series of her own, which included "Charmed Lives" (ABC, 1986) and "Princesses" (CBS, 1991), eventually gave way to sitcom stardom as the outspoken au pair Fran Fine on the hit comedy "The Nanny" (CBS, 1993-99). The show's popularity also enabled its star to pursue lead roles in such feature films as "The Beautician and the Beast" (1997). Drescher later became an awareness advocate after being diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000, an illness from which she fully recovered following aggressive surgery. Continuing to mine personal experience for her creative endeavors, Drescher returned to television in "Happily Divorced" (TV Land, 2011-12), a sitcom inspired by her real life ex-husband coming out to Drescher as a gay man years earlier. A perfect example of playing to one's strengths, Drescher turned her adenoidal yet adorable personality into a veritable cottage industry as an actress, producer, writer and wellness advocate.Born Francine Joy Drescher on Sept. 30, 1957 in Flushing, Queens, NY, "Fran" was the youngest daughter of Sylvia, a bridal shop salesperson, and Morty, a systems analyst. Always a popular girl, she was first runner up for "Miss New York Teenager" in 1973. Two years later, Drescher graduated from Hillcrest High School in Jamaica, Queens, where she had been classmates with future actor-comedian Ray Romano and Peter Marc Jacobson, an aspiring actor whom she would marry in 1978. She began her film career with a small part in the phenomenally successful disco drama "Saturday Night Fever" (1977), in which she uttered the memorable line "Are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?" to John Travolta's Tony Manero. After making the move to Los Angeles with Jacobson, Drescher picked up a series of small roles in projects like the rock-n-roll docudrama "American Hot Wax" (1978) and the made-for-TV thriller "Stranger in Our House" (NBC, 1978). Struggling to find the right part, her early, uneven portfolio included turns in forgettable sex comedies like "Hollywood Knights" (1980) and "Gorp" (1980), as well as small roles in more respectable works, including director Milos Forman's "Ragtime" (1981).After marking time with guest spots on series like "Fame" (NBC, 1982-83) and "Nine to Five" (ABC, 1982-88), Drescher returned to theaters with a seductive supporting role as one of Dan Aykroyd's prostitutes in the unfunny comedy "Doctor Detroit" (1983). One of her briefer appearances included a highly effective cameo as a no-nonsense record label PR person in Rob Reiner's seminal mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984). By and large, Drescher subsisted on sporadic television work, appearing on such sitcoms as "Silver Spoons" (NBC, 1982-87), "Who's the Boss?" (ABC, 1984-1992) and "Night Court" (NBC, 1984-1992). "Charmed Lives" (ABC, 1986) - Drescher's first attempt at headlining her own show, alongside "Doctor Detroit" co-star Donna Dixon - proved to be anything but when it ended after a mere four episodes. Undaunted, she fared somewhat better as Robin Williams' married mistress in the comedy-drama "Cadillac Man" (1990).Although it would be another exceptionally short-lived effort, Drescher was honing in on the daffy, yet defiant character she would soon become known for on the short-lived sitcom "Princesses" (CBS, 1991), opposite Julie Hagerty and Twiggy Lawson. After turns in minor film and TV efforts like "We're Talking Serious Money" (1992) and "Without Warning: Terror in the Towers" (NBC, 1993), Drescher